The advantures of 50 Dollar Day

[Intrepidation]

So this past Saturday was $50 Day at Holland's Used Auto, and my best hope of getting a good deal on replacement parts for our beaten up cars. Jessica and I got up bright and early at 5:30am, emptied out the T&C and put the things we thought we'd need in it and headed to Silvester's. We met at about 6:30 and followed Sixty in his RoadMonster to take care of some stuff, get breakfast and head to the junkyard.

Our game plan was to hit the Prizms first, since they were near the entrance, then scope out the Cadillacs and proceed to the Intrepids. Even though it was only 8am there was already a good amount of people in the yard and they had a guy directing us to the parking spots. We unloaded our tools and things to carry the various crap with and the 3 of us set off.

Our firsts top was at the GM small car section which held, among other things, 3 or 4 Prizms...unfortunately none of which were red. However, we did find something nearly as good. There was stacked on top of another car a blue/green Prizm LSi with split/folding rear seats that we've wanted for some time. They were intact and besides being a bit wet in good shape. So with Sixty8's help (he climbed into the car) we grabbed the entire backseat assembly and other goodies like a better designed set of "of $h! handles" than what's in our car. After we got the parts out we stashed them in a Grand Am's truck for safekeeping, since we had a key to it. We probably spent an hour doing this.

Our next mission was to get parts for Sixty8's Caddy, but as we were walking I could see down the aisle the Intrepids, and couldn't help but check it out. Sure enough, to my amazement, there was on the ground a blue Intrepid SE. Unable to wait, I insisted we go look at it. We spent the next 2 hours getting the doors off of it, as well as some interior bits and a good headlight. I thank this poor Intrepid, for it will live on by helping out mine. We had planned to stash them in an Avenger but it just wasn't big enough to fit the doors, so Sixty8 and I went hunting for a hood we could use as a sled to keep the doors on. We ended up finding a (rather nice) green Neon to donate it's hood. We unbolted it and brought it back. While all this is going on it had started raining, and at a pretty good clip...so not only was it cool out but now us and our tools were getting soaked. Undeterred, we pressed on. the donor Intrepid has a crapload of cardboard boxed in it's trunk so we used them as padding too keep the doors from being scratched up. They were both in good shape save the scratches along the lower portion where the car must have been dragged against dirt and rock. Then we set up s tow hook using a hood prop and headed to the Caddy section to help Sixty8 get parts for his Banana Boat. The Caddy that would donate parts for him was a beautiful car at one point, it had a nice paintjob and interior that was in good shape. It ended up in the junkyard because of police impound and now was beyond repair under another car. We spend another hour or so getting interior bits out of it.

After that we split up, Sixty8 looked around the GM section for other goodies and we went back to the Chrysler section to find parts I can hopefully sell on ebay. We ended up with two more headlights and a gauge cluster out of a Chrysler Concorde.

At this point it was around 1pm so it was time to get ready to go. Now, teh whole trick about this event is that it's $50 for all you can carry. You can drag it or whatever to the entrance, but you have to carry everything 30 feet or so to the "finish line" to keep it. Knowing that all of our stuff weighed a crapload, we made a plan to pile it all on the hood and the 3 of us carry it out. Sixty8 took some of his stuff to the entrance and teh rest we put on the hood and the 2 of us dragged it to the finish line. Now, we were tired, soaked, and wanted to get home, so we dragged it a little less carefully than we should have, which sadly resulted in the rear door getting scratched up pretty good at the back. If on;y we had found what these one group of people had, which was a running car, a 1st gen Explorer that they used to take their parts around...would have made life much easier. At any rate, we finally made it, and the 3 of us, by some miracle carried the huge and heavy mountain of parts across the line. It was exhausting work but totally worth it and we had a lot of fun. I only wish it hadn't rained and we were more careful but oh well. It's easier to repaint than to pull out dents.

So here's the goods:

The scatches that were in the doors:

...and the ones we put in:

Total cost was $150. Not bad eh? Thanks Sixty8 for helping us out so much!

Edited May 5, 2008 by Dodgefan

[daves87rs]

Wow..that is quite a bit of stuff.....

[Intrepidation]

Wow..that is quite a bit of stuff.....

Yep

Need to clean it next. then figure out what to do about the scratches.

Hey ocn, now you've got an idea of the scratches. What do you think? Will touching it up be enough or is it too much to touch up?

[ocnblu]

I would say polish those areas as much as you can, maybe with rubbing compound, and see how they look. Hold them up to your car and see if the color matches (there are "variances" on factory paint colors, even with the same color number). Right now, it looks like a pretty large area to touch up, but it might not be too bad after you clean them up. If someone fully paints the doors, you run the risk of having a mismatch, especially with metallic colors.

[Blake Noble]

I wish that a local junkyard would pull a similar promotion. My Sonoma would have leather seats and a console by now, if so.

[Intrepidation]

I would say polish those areas as much as you can, maybe with rubbing compound, and see how they look. Hold them up to your car and see if the color matches (there are "variances" on factory paint colors, even with the same color number). Right now, it looks like a pretty large area to touch up, but it might not be too bad after you clean them up. If someone fully paints the doors, you run the risk of having a mismatch, especially with metallic colors.

Will do, hey ocn, what does it normally run to repaint a door, or what does your shop charge for it?

[ocnblu]

We would take all the trim off the outside of the doors. The moldings, the nameplate, the mirror, the door glass run channel, etc., to prevent tape lines that could cause a peelback of the paint. And they'd need sanded properly to smooth all those nicks and scratches out. It would be at least a few hundred bucks, more likely more. That's why I'm pushing the cleanup and touchup, unless you've got that kind of money to blow. I understand you want your car to look its best.

[Intrepidation]

We would take all the trim off the outside of the doors. The moldings, the nameplate, the mirror, the door glass run channel, etc., to prevent tape lines that could cause a peelback of the paint. And they'd need sanded properly to smooth all those nicks and scratches out. It would be at least a few hundred bucks, more likely more. That's why I'm pushing the cleanup and touchup, unless you've got that kind of money to blow. I understand you want your car to look its best.

Yeah, I am going to try the touchup route, I was just curious. Eventually both cars will be repainted but that's down the road.

[Sixty8panther]

Yup, this was my fourth $50 day and it was the 2nd most successful of the four.

Back in fall of 2005 I did stellar, I think total I carried out twice the average

person did that day, maybe not in terms of shear weight but volume definitely.

I got about two dozen GM owner's manuals (eBay) an aftermarket Parthenon

style grille for a FWD ''80s deVille, rear taillight assembly for a last gen. Riviera,

about 40lbs. of stainless steel goodies & interior bits for the Banana Boat, some

misc. hardware I've been after for the Banana & Roadmaster, Driver's door

panel & glovebox for the Roadmaster, a hundred or so emblems (mostly GM)

and a whole bunch of crap I'm sure I forgot.

Next time with a little more advanced planning & a LOT LESS rain we'll really

put the teamwork to good use. XP & SP both bailed due to having to work.

It was fun, I love me a good bargain & junkyards are always an adventure.